Traveling to different places, a variety of scores were brought back home for the men's and women's tennis teams of South Carolina.
The No. 45 South Carolina men’s tennis team struggled this weekend, falling to No. 71 Alabama Friday night and No. 26 Mississippi State Sunday afternoon, both 4-1.
The No. 31 women’s team also had a rough start to their weekend, falling to No. 8 Vanderbilt 6-1 on Friday but registered a huge upset against No. 20 Kentucky on Sunday, with a 4-0 shutout.
On Friday, senior Kyle Koch of men's tennis opened the singles round with a win for the Gamecocks, but Alabama was able to win the remaining matches.
In doubles, Alabama took the early lead against doubles partners Koch and senior Thiago Pinheiro. South Carolina looked to make a comeback, but the Crimson Tide was able to sweep them.
The men faced another tough loss to Mississippi State on Sunday. Koch and Pinheiro both had a strong day for the Gamecocks, where they tied Mississippi State in doubles. Koch also tied his opponent Juan Cruz Estevarena in singles. Pinheiro gave South Carolina their win for the day, where he beat nationally ranked Tassilo Schmid in singles.
The women also struggled on Friday when they played Vanderbilt. Sophomore Brigit Folland gave South Carolina their win in singles, while senior Elixane Lechemia and junior Ximena Siles Luna won in doubles.
Sunday was a different story for the ladies, with a shutout over No. 20 Kentucky. This win records South Carolina’s third upset in the past two weeks. Lechemia, Caroline Dailey, Folland, Meghan Blevins, Siles Luna and Hadley Berg all picked up wins in singles, while Berg/Dailey, Blevins/Folland, and Lechemia/Siles Luna defeated their Kentucky opponents in doubles.
The Gamecocks will return home for their final home matches of the regular season. The men will host No. 14 Ole Miss on Thursday then a doubleheader on Saturday, and the women will host Tennessee on Friday then No. 5 Georgia on Sunday.